Owner's Manual recommends Pro Honda HP Chain Lube or would you recommend another brand? And why?
What's the best chain lube?
Minidee
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The CBR250R comes fitted with an O-ring chain.
You can probably get away without lubing an O-ring chain as the lubricant for the links is kept in by the O-rings. They are low maintenance compared to standard chains.
However.......
You will be doing yourself, as well as the service life of the chain and the sprockets a favour by squirting a little O-ring safe aerosol lube on every week or two. Fastidious cleaning is not really necessary, unless you have been riding in conditions where you pick up a lot of dust and grit.
It takes very little effort, and just a minute or two. Just raise the back wheel and spin it around as you spray the chain; best done at the end of a ride while the chain is warm. Leave it for 15 - 20 minutes for the solvents to evaporate, and the lube to set on the chain.
You will be rewarded with a smoother, quieter ride, and the chain and sprockets will last longer.
Non O-ring chains benefit a lot more from cleaning and lubrication, but even then are only good for about a third to a half the service life of an O-ring chain.
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I just bought an $8 can from advance auto parts..said it was for regular AND O-ring chains....works just as good as any other o-ring chain lube out there...goes on clear..evaporates and leaves lube behind....I've sprayed mine twice now and I have 1000 miles on it...manual says every 500
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While I have used the DuPont Teflon Multi-Use Dry, Wax Lubricant (spray can) with good sucess and still use it on my wife's Rebel, I'm doing something different with my bikes.
I've been doing a wash and lube with ATF (automatic transmission fluid) on the dirt bike (CRF230L) and when I put a new chain and sprocket set on the NX250 (street bike) this summer I decided to experiment with a 300-350 mile interval and ATF lube for the new DID o-ring chain. Not enough miles to have anything to report on that at present, but, remember that Honda used ATF in the front shocks for years. It is supposed to be good at maintaining rubber seals. That is the logic.
I've been doing a wash and lube with ATF (automatic transmission fluid) on the dirt bike (CRF230L) and when I put a new chain and sprocket set on the NX250 (street bike) this summer I decided to experiment with a 300-350 mile interval and ATF lube for the new DID o-ring chain. Not enough miles to have anything to report on that at present, but, remember that Honda used ATF in the front shocks for years. It is supposed to be good at maintaining rubber seals. That is the logic.
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256 Posts
Went to the dealer on the way home today. Asked their opinion on chain lube and how to do it. I'm embarrassed to say I've never really worried about chains in all my years of riding. Keep in mind this is the same dealer I spoke of on the forum that took 3 weeks to do my initial service and put the old filter gasket on because they didn't have a new one and it leaked all over me and the bike as soon as I picked it up. Anyway, the guy behind the counter was condescending and short with me. I tried to explain I had never cleaned or lubed a chain before. He was an ass. He asks what kind of chain and I said I think its an O ring. He looks it up and says no its not. I said, I'm pretty sure it is, but, he has the book right in front of him and he says its not. Also, I kinda assumed he was going to pull out some Honda brand lube. I know I should have take my time but the truth was I was kind of nervous because I was thinking I should just get the hell out of here and check out my trusty cbr250.net before they screw something up again. I had the kid with me too and was running late so I just kind of took what they gave me for $20 bucks and ran with it. Well the brand is Maxima? not honda and he gave me Cleanup and Chainwax. It says O ring safe. But, it really pisses me off that they can't even tell me what kind of chain I have on my bike correctly. I know my knowledge is ridiculously limited but atleast I'm making an effort to learn. So....the question is, will these products be ok or should I take the time to get some of the other stuff suggested in this post? I haven't really seen anyon praising or using "wax" for that matter.
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256 Posts
Went to the dealer on the way home today. Asked their opinion on chain lube and how to do it. I'm embarrassed to say I've never really worried about chains in all my years of riding. Keep in mind this is the same dealer I spoke of on the forum that took 3 weeks to do my initial service and put the old filter gasket on because they didn't have a new one and it leaked all over me and the bike as soon as I picked it up. Anyway, the guy behind the counter was condescending and short with me. I tried to explain I had never cleaned or lubed a chain before. He was an ass. He asks what kind of chain and I said I think its an O ring. He looks it up and says no its not. I said, I'm pretty sure it is, but, he has the book right in front of him and he says its not. Also, I kinda assumed he was going to pull out some Honda brand lube. I know I should have take my time but the truth was I was kind of nervous because I was thinking I should just get the hell out of here and check out my trusty cbr250.net before they screw something up again. I had the kid with me too and was running late so I just kind of took what they gave me for $20 bucks and ran with it. Well the brand is Maxima? not honda and he gave me Cleanup and Chainwax. It says O ring safe. But, it really pisses me off that they can't even tell me what kind of chain I have on my bike correctly. I know my knowledge is ridiculously limited but atleast I'm making an effort to learn. So....the question is, will these products be ok or should I take the time to get some of the other stuff suggested in this post? I haven't really seen anyone praising or using "wax" for that matter.
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1,105 Posts
I'm a fan of amsoill HD metal protector. Its a wax, it works good and wont fling like most others.
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I probably will go back and get my money back. Or maybe I will leave those cans right by my bike as a $20 reminder to never go back. The really funny thing is that I just got a $110 settlement cash card to use at the dealer as the result of some class action law suit because the dealer charged their customers some unfair financing fee. I guess it dates back to when I bought my Ruckus. Got a $75 one in conjuntion with a car I bought there too. I have been the biggest Honda fan my whole life but I am really starting to think about looking elsewhere for future purchases. Don't know that I'll ever buy anything "new" again anyway. Well, I atleast gotta use my gift certificate for the next oil change. After that I will take it to some of the local shops possibly. I just keep thinking the dealer has to know more about a new bike than a local shop that has been wrenching on old bikes forever. I'm probably wrong there too. I'm an intelligent person but I just don't trust myself to work on the bike. I've had too many bad experiences screwing up cars when I was younger playing backyard mechanic. Plus I don't have any tools at all. **** I hate relying on other people. Maybe I'll change my mind and buy the shop manual this winter.
Sry to disagree that, this is little dangerous advice my friend
the chain needs to be lubed for every 2K kms, atleast that's what our Honda engineer adviced here in India. Probably it could vary between countries depending on the pollution level.Anyway, to state a real example, I lubed once at Jaipur & rode all way upto Mumbai which is about 1200 Kms & then from Mumbai towards Chennai which is another 1300 Kms. Half way through at Belgaum (say about 400 Kms from Mumbai) I hear loud squeaking noises. Which means 1200+400, take it round 2000 Kms is all the lubing can with stand.
Also the chain needs to be adjusted for every 2K kms & failing to do so resulted for me to replace the entire chain & I'm waiting indefinitely for the spares to arrive!!!
Yep, its quite easy...when you've a paddock, otherwise, its a pain!!!
Agreed
What solvents you mean?
Not necessary; I've an 20 year old motorcycle (Yamaha Rx) & the chain is in good condition even after 15K kms, while my C250R's sprockets has to be replaced & its just 10K kms.
CBR-STL - Get Motul chain lubricant; one of the standard product in the industry. I wouldn't say its THE BEST, but, you cannot go wrong or it wouldn't fail you.
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I've been using Tri-Flow.
I think it's pretty much the same stuff as the Dupont teflon lube but can't say for sure having never seen the Dupont stuff.
Years ago a friend of mine had an old mid-late 70's Sportster 1000 stroked to a 1200.
He would go through chains ridiculously quick. About one a year. It didn't matter what he used or so we thought until he started using Tri-Flow. The last chain he got lasted over four years using Tri-Flow. He sold the Sporty & bought a tube frame Buell so I'll never know how long the chain lasted before needing to be replaced.
It is because of that memory that I use the stuff. It seems to work just fine. Anything that sprays onto the wheel just wipes off clean. It can also be found in any hardware store (at least in my area) so no special trips to the dealer are needed. I just follow the 'lube every other fill up' philosophy.
It works good for clutch & throttle cables too.
It was a bit of an odity at first for me to lube the ol' chain. The last 12 years I've been riding Sortys & Buells. All belt driven. I had almost forgotten what lubing a chain was like. Messy. The Tri-Flow ain't sticky so there's a lot less mess.
I think it's pretty much the same stuff as the Dupont teflon lube but can't say for sure having never seen the Dupont stuff.
Years ago a friend of mine had an old mid-late 70's Sportster 1000 stroked to a 1200.
He would go through chains ridiculously quick. About one a year. It didn't matter what he used or so we thought until he started using Tri-Flow. The last chain he got lasted over four years using Tri-Flow. He sold the Sporty & bought a tube frame Buell so I'll never know how long the chain lasted before needing to be replaced.
It is because of that memory that I use the stuff. It seems to work just fine. Anything that sprays onto the wheel just wipes off clean. It can also be found in any hardware store (at least in my area) so no special trips to the dealer are needed. I just follow the 'lube every other fill up' philosophy.
It works good for clutch & throttle cables too.
It was a bit of an odity at first for me to lube the ol' chain. The last 12 years I've been riding Sortys & Buells. All belt driven. I had almost forgotten what lubing a chain was like. Messy. The Tri-Flow ain't sticky so there's a lot less mess.
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Chain cleaning tough job
Hello Everyone,
This is first blog on CBR250.net. I live in Mumbai. I bought my CBR250 last year in November(11.11.2011). Initially I didn't care about the chain cleaning till the first service. but after 300kms to the first service I started to notice that bike is running a little heavier than before. I checked the clutch settings and then thought of chain cleaning. I did the chain cleaning for the first time by moving the bike forward and backwards. I used Motul chain clean and Motul chain lube. While doing the cleaning for the first time bike fell on one side. It was really tough.
This is first blog on CBR250.net. I live in Mumbai. I bought my CBR250 last year in November(11.11.2011). Initially I didn't care about the chain cleaning till the first service. but after 300kms to the first service I started to notice that bike is running a little heavier than before. I checked the clutch settings and then thought of chain cleaning. I did the chain cleaning for the first time by moving the bike forward and backwards. I used Motul chain clean and Motul chain lube. While doing the cleaning for the first time bike fell on one side. It was really tough.
Then I bought wheel jockey/roller from one of the local dealer.
Using the wheel jockey is also not an easy task.
I tried to use the engine power to rotate the wheel but it kept on sliding one side or the other it was very difficult to roll it but after some time I found the place where it fits and was able to roll the wheel with engine power. but this is risky find the accurate position. Recomended is not to use the engine power be patient and move the wheel by your hand.
I have attached the pics of wheel jockey/roller and the link for video:
Using the wheel jockey is also not an easy task.
I tried to use the engine power to rotate the wheel but it kept on sliding one side or the other it was very difficult to roll it but after some time I found the place where it fits and was able to roll the wheel with engine power. but this is risky find the accurate position. Recomended is not to use the engine power be patient and move the wheel by your hand.
I have attached the pics of wheel jockey/roller and the link for video:
I have cleaned the bike today lube it with Motul chain lube(Road:C2(Black can) I dint like it but just waiting to finish it and will purchase some other lube else will use synthetic engine oil.
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Doesn't that gear oil end up flying all over place and making a mess of the rear wheel?
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Yeah this stuff got excellent reviews. I will be buying some.
Amazon.com: DuPont(R) Teflon(TM) Chain-Saver Lubricant, Net Wt 11 oz. (CS0110101): Automotive
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